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the patients who were not contacted. Pharmacists performed a total of 128 interventions and averaged 22 minutes on each telephone intervention.5
Benefits of Pharmacy-Led Preauthorization
UC Davis Health System (UCDHS), a 630-bed facility and primary care network with 14 clinics in the greater Sacramento California area, con- ducted a study that revealed a statistically signi cant improvement when pharmacists and pharmacy technicians controlled preauthoriza- tion processes. Key ndings included overall cost savings due to ef ciency improvements and quality improve- ments for patients due to quicker access to medications.
Pharmacy technicians and phar- macists used a protocol and collabor- ative practice agreement to authorize and lab results to help technicians communicate information to insur- ance plans and evaluate formulary drug replacements.
Study authors further reported that although preauthorization pro- cesses may reduce costs for health insurance providers, the actual pro- cesses increase costs for healthcare providers. Centralizing preauthoriza- tion processes in their health system pharmacy improved approval rates, expedited patient access to medica- tions and reduced the amount of staff and time spent on preauthori- zation processes.6
Developing Compound Solution Standards
A guiding principle for all pharma- cists is to ensure the right medication is given to the right patient at the right time, with appropriate dose and administration type.
Solution concentrations and dosing units used to compound oral medications and intravenous (IV) drugs, however, differ between sites of care—between multiple care units in hospitals and from one hospital
to another, in physician of ces and throughout retail and community
pharmacies. These variants impact patient populations, health and outcomes.7
Oral medicines are frequently compounded for infants and young children. If a pharmacist compounds the medication with an inappropri- ate solution concentration, the child may potentially overdose on the medication or not receive an accu- rate daily dose. For example, a pe- diatrician prescribes 10 milligrams (mg) of a drug to be administered orally at 1 mg per day. If the drug is compounded with a 10 mg solution,
Solution concentrations and dosing units used to compound oral medications and intravenous (IV) drugs differ between sites of care.
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